Date: 27/11/2018

Rail passengers who are unhappy with how their complaints have been handled can now take their grievance to an ombudsman. Consumer groups hope the new system, which launches today, will improve how train companies handle complaints. The ombudsman's decision will be binding and operators will have to take action if failings are identified. Figures from the Office of Rail and Road show just 28% of people who made a complaint to a train company in 2017/18 were satisfied with the outcome. The most common areas of complaints include punctuality and reliability, difficulties buying a ticket, and not being able to find a seat.

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'Wake-up' call for train companies as new complaint service opens

Sky News

Consumer groups hope the new system will act as a 'wake-up call' to train companies to start improving their services.